At the Helm: With Wings on Their Feet

My purpose in this blog is to give you a view of the Olympic Games and our team that you won’t get or can’t get from Facebook, photos, press releases or anywhere else.

So here goes…

It’s really something to be absolutely at the top of your game at something, anything. It really is. Think about the arc of your life for a moment, and while you are doing that, I’ll sit here and think about the arc of mine. And while we are doing this together, let’s all think to the moments when we were absolutely the best at something. Think about it. If you are like me, you’ll come up with some things, but not that many. It’s rare. It’s rare to be the best at anything, at any point in life.

So now I want you to think about this Olympic team. 16 sailors who have earned the right to represent the United States of America at the Olympic Games. Wow. That’s something. When you make an Olympic Team, you can point to that moment in your life and say “I was the best our country has.” How many people get to say that in their lifetime? Just not that many.

We are two days away from the opening of the 2012 Summer Games, and the competition begins on Saturday the 28th. Some of our sailors will do more than represent their country over the next two weeks. Some of them will also succeed here and come home with some hardware. But regardless of who does and who doesn’t, these 16 are all at the top of their game right now. They are Olympians. And that is just something special to see.

It’s rare when you can look in the mirror and say “I’m the best.” It’s rare and it’s special. But it’s also special to have a front row seat and watch people who are at their best do their thing. The Olympic Games allow you to witness athletes, in all sports, at the peak of their abilities.

That’s really something, and we’ve got 16 of them right here in Weymouth, ready to represent the USA.

No matter what happens over the next couple of weeks, this is something special to witness. Many people dream of being an Olympian. Some attempt to become Olympians. And a precious few actually get here.